Press releases
Please quote Nature Materials as the source of these items.
March 2003
Injecting structure into fluids
Artificial 3D networks of microscopic channels can be used to direct fluid flow, in much the same way that networks of capillaries are used to direct blood flow in mammals. Such 'microvascular' networks are useful as chemical reactors or fluid mixing devices, especially for biological analysis. As they report in the April issue of Nature Materials, Jennifer Lewis and colleagues have developed a rapid and simple way to make these complex networks in three dimensions.
The authors use a direct-write technique to build their microvascular networks. They use a robotic nozzle to dispense organic ink, thereby 'writing' each layer of a predesigned structure in three dimensions. This organic scaffold is then immersed in a resin, and allowed to set, before the internal scaffold is removed, leaving behind channels 10-300 micrometres in diameter.
Square spiral structures within the microvascular network create complicated flow patterns that allow for more rapid and more efficient mixing of fluids, compared with simple 1D or 2D systems of microchannels. Beyond such fluidic devices, Lewis and colleagues imagine integrating their networks with self-healing materials or fluidic-based computers.
